Turnout in Tosa Hinges on Interest in County, Supreme Court Races

Despite there being no contested races for any Wauwatosa public offices, a fairly high turnout can be expected April 5 as political awareness continues to run high.

On the ballot are the position of Milwaukee county executive, with state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) facing off against philanthropist Chris Abele, and a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in which incumbent Justice David Prosser is being challenged by Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg.

"It's hard to gauge what's bringing voters out, but the traffic we've had would indicate that interest is running pretty high," City Clerk Carla Ledesma said.

"Wauwatosa had a 26 percent turnout for the February primary, which is better than a lot of the state and higher than usual," she said.

"And based on the number of early and absentee ballots we're getting, I'd say it's going to be heavier than you would expect for an April election, especially one with no contested races in the city.

"I'm not sure what's drawing them in, whether it's still the effect of what happened in Madison over the state budget, or the county executive race, or a combination of both," Ledesma added.

In the county race, both candidates have sparked more interest for the negative press they've gotten than for any large differences in their platforms.

Abele, who has never held political office, has been dogged by reports of amassing numerous unpaid parking tickets, a drunken driving arrest that took him years to resolve in court, and complaints from a neighbor of throwing fireworks over their fence. The incidents have many questioning his maturity and sense of public responsibility.

On the other hand, Abele, through his Argosy Foundation, which makes large grants in Milwaukee for arts and children's causes, is well-known in the circles of movers and shakers and is expected to be able to draw on his influential contacts to move policy forward.

Stone has drawn fire for having told Milwaukee County residents that he supported public workers unions' collective bargaining rights and then, in Madison, voting for a bill that will strip away most of those rights, making him appear less than candid with his potential constituents.

Stone, though, is an experienced politician and could be expected as county executive to draw on his close connection to his predessessor, now-Gov. Scott Walker, to drive policies in the county, some of which may require state legislative action.

In the Supreme Court race, Prosser has the advantage of being the incumbent, which is usually enough to win against a less well-known challenger. But Prosser has thrown fireworks of his own behind the curtains of the state's high court, reportedly yelling at fellow justices and calling names.

Prosser is seen as a conservative justice, and Kloppenburg is liked by liberals, so the race may be a test of how the political winds in Wisconsin are truly blowing in the wake of the political storm that raked Wisconsin in February and early March.

Wauwatosans who visit the polls may vote for five candidates for local public office, four School Board members and one Common Council member, but the seats are not contested. There are also a number of Circuit Court seats up for election, only one of them contested.

See the sample ballot in the accompanying Photo Gallery for a look at all the candidates.